Dark Skies (Russian Novel)

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Dark Skies is a Russian science fiction novel [Tiomnyie Nebesa, Тёмные Небеса (Russian)], the fourth of the Arrivals from the Dark pentalogy by Mihail Ahmanov, preceded by Invasion, Retaliation, and Fighters of Danveyt.

[edit] Plot summary

At the start of the 24th century, Earth Federation enters into an all-out war with a powerful enemy, the non-humanoid Dromi. Their star empire is vast, and they outnumber the combined population of Earth and its colonies by a factor of ten. They do not fear death and never retreat. Several Dromi clans attack and occupy T'har, Ro'on, and Aezat - human outer colonies near the Void (empty area of space between the Orion Arm and the Perseus Arm). In an attempt to retake the planets, Admiral Sergey Valdez sends out a battlegroup, consisting of the cruiser Malta and frigates Achilles, Hector, and Diomedes, believing the occupational forces to be minimal. Unfortunately, the enemy forces turn out to be considerable, and the entire battlegroup is destroyed in a spectacular battle in orbit above T'har. The only survivor is the Admiral's son, Lieutenant Mark Valdez, whose fighter craft is damaged by the Malta's explosion and falls to the planet. His body in critical condition is rescued by the T'har resistance forces and brought to one of their bases, scattered throughout the planet. He spends several days in the infirmary, as his near-fatal injuries (including a severed spine) are repaired by the autodoc. Fully-healed, Mark finally awakens to find his sister Kseniya beside him. She was still on T'har when the planet was attacked and was lucky to survive the initial orbital bombardment. While Mark is glad to see his sister alive and well, he is devastated to learn that the entire crew complement of the battlegroup was lost, with many of them hailing from the occupied colonies. Outside the infirmary, Mark meets Maia Serano, Kseniya's best friend, who has long awaited Mark's return, falling in love with her best friend's big brother long ago. Mark, upon seeing that the little girl he used to know has turned into a beautiful young woman, also becomes enamored with her. However, his first order of business is to locate his helmet. The local resistance cell, of which Kseniya and Maia are part, leads him to the crash site and, upon recovering his service blaster and helmet, Mark self-destructs the escape pod (it simply disintegrates, without any explosions). Mark knows the history of his homeworld of T'har - it played a key role during the four long Void Wars against the alien Faata. As such, the colony is equipped with a hidden Arsenal - a vault filled with enough armament to equip an army. Seeing the Arsenal as the only, albeit slim, chance of liberating T'har, Mark uses his helmet's scanning equipment to locate the Arsenal's beacon. As the scanning takes time, Mark takes part in one of the resistance cell's raids against the Dromi patrols, even know he knows that a few killed low-caste members will hardly hurt the occupational forces. Ambushing one such patrol, the humans manage to eliminate all Dromi soldiers, except for one of the higher-ranking ones, who surrenders. While Mark is surprised at this turn of events, as the Dromi do not value individual life as humans do and, therefore, never surrender, he decides to try to scan the mind of the Dromi telepathically, using the abilities inherited from his father. Realizing that the captive bears humans no ill will, Mark convinces the others to let him go. Patta, the captive Dromi, is equally surprised at the strange human's decision, but he takes his transport and leaves for his homebase. Apparently, Patta is an anomaly among the larger Dromi populace - a result of his mentor Tihava's teachings. According to Tihava, the Dromi must lose the war with humans in order to trigger a change in their culture. The change is necessary, as the current Dromi path will inevitable lead to their demise. In fact, Tihava believes that it must be humans who defeat the Dromi, as most other races would eliminate their race, but not humans.

Meanwhile, Admiral Valdez receives news that all contact has been lost with the battlegroup sent to T'har. Fearing the worst, he hesitates to tell his wife Inga, who is serving as his ship's navigator, that her son may be dead. Sergey's closest friend and adviser Cro Lightwater offers to help Sergey to use his telepathic abilities to perform a sort-of long-range scan of T'har. Using Cro as a guide, Sergey focuses his mind and not only discovers that the planet is teeming with Dromi, but also that both of his children are alive and well.

Mark, Kseniya, Maia, and other members of their resistance cell travel across the continent to another city (or rather, what used to be a city until the occupation), where the resistance command base was located. There, Mark explains that he has managed to locate the Arsenal - it is located far to the North of any inhabited area on the planet. However, even knowing the location, Mark is dubious that their meager forces of several thousand, using equipment several centuries old, can succeed against a fearless enemy who outnumbers and outguns them at least 100 to 1. He goes outside and attempts to call on his father with his mind. To his surprise, he receives an answer, which fills him with hope that their plan is not futile.

On the Admiral's flagship, Cro tells Sergey that Mark managed to call on him (Mark assumed it was his father), and Cro gave him an answer - Mark must eliminate the Dromi Patriarch on T'har. Without a clear chain-of-command, the Dromi will not be nearly as effective in combat. However, even then, the T'har resistance has only about a 10% chance of success. They will need help. Around then, the Admiral receives news that 3 recently-built Pallas-class cruisers (Pallas, Heracles, and Ares) are being sent to reinforce his fleet. Knowing that this must mean that dozens more are in the process of being completed, Admiral Valdez proposes that command send a large fleet, consisting of several of these new cruisers and many other ships, to aid in the liberation of the outer colonies. His proposal accepted, the Admiral is hopeful that he may soon see his children. Upon finding out about the mission, Ensign Olaf Peter Carlos Trevelyan-Krasnogortsev volunteers to serve as a gunner on one of the new warships being sent to T'har. Inga Valdez approaches him and asks him to do her a favor. Being secretly enamored with her, the Ensign agrees. Inga asks him to give her children Sergey and hers wedding rings. Possibly sensing the twenty-year-old Ensign's attraction to her, Inga explains that her daughter Kseniya looks almost exactly like her and is about his age, which sends Olaf's heart soaring. The fleet departs.

Mark, Kseniya, Maia, and may others fly to the location of the Arsenal. Locating a well-hidden air shaft, Mark enters the facility and, upon establishing his identity as a fleet officer, activates the dormant system. With enough weapons, tanks and combat robots to equip two full divisions, Mark commands the Arsenal computer to load everything onto transports and head towards the resistance command center. Upon emptying the vault, the humans fly back. On the way, they are intercepted by a squadron of Dromi attack craft. Mark's excellent flying allows him to hide their unarmed transport in a crevice, inaccessible from air. The Dromi land and deploy ground troops, apparently unaware that they have landed in the middle of a canyon filled with hungry lizards the size of a human (this is explained as the lack of a developed sense of fear of predators, as the Dromi homeworld lacks any). The Dromi ground forces are eaten alive. Only one Dromi manages to escape this gruesome fate by hiding in his craft - Patta. Instead of attacking the humans, he somehow recognizes Mark and hands him a datacube, which contains a detailed map of the Dromi homebase on T'har, pointing at the location of the Patriarch. Realizing that the Dromi is betraying his own, Mark offers Patta to travel with them. Arriving to their command center, Mark and the other leaders come up with a battle plan, using the newly-acquired data.

Using a tunnel built several decades prior, a small squad, including Mark, manages to infiltrate the Dromi base and launches a massive missile strike at the main tower, where the Patriarch is located. By a stroke of misfortune, the aging Patriarch has already passed his title to his successor, who is located in another tower. As such, the Dromi are still organized and begin to repel the attackers. The attack, however, gives the bulk of the resistance fighters time to evacuate a large number of human slaves kept by the Dromi as construction workers. Realizing that they cannot hold out for long, Mark orders the retreat of his squad to the tunnel and decides to hole up there, buying time for the evacuees. On the fourth day of the attack, the squad is exhausted, and Mark prepares to pull his forces out. Just then, however, the ground around them begins to shake. The combat veterans immediately recognize the feeling - this was a massive annihilator strike. As the Dromi do not possess antimatter weapons, this can only mean that the cavalry has finally arrived. Leaving the tunnel, the resistance fighters begin to search for the ground troops being deployed from Earth ships. One of the first people on the ground is Ensign Trevelyan-Krasnogortsev who encounters Kseniya Valdez and fulfills her mother's request by giving Kseniya her ring. Remembering her pledge to her brother to get married as soon as T'har is liberated, Kseniya tells Olaf to stop standing around and kiss her already, and the Ensign is all too happy to comply.

Patta's fate is not mentioned, however, it can be assumed that he will be sent off to live out his life among those like him - the Dromi living on Lo'ona Aeo worlds who have managed to change their way of life.

[edit] Races

The book features an appendix which provides a short description of key races mentioned throughout the first four novels.

• Bino Faata (alternative spelling - Fa'ata): a humanoid race native to the Perseus Arm of the galaxy. Name and location of homeworld unknown. Despite the fact that their colonies number in hundreds (100-300), their overall population is roughly 2-3 billion. The current social and biological makeup of the race is the result of two catastrophes which nearly destroyed their entire species, known as the Eclipses. After the second Eclipse, the Faata remade their society into a caste-based one, whose sole goal is to ensure the never-ending prosperity of the Faata race and prevent a third Eclipse. The highest caste of the Faata, known as Bino Faata, are considered to be "fully sentient". They possess advanced telepathic abilities and have a biological and genetic makeup similar to humans (human-Faata hybrids are possible). The other castes are considered "semi-sentient" (T'ho), most of which have been genetically-engineered to serve a particular role. The attempted invasion of the Orion Arm by the Faata, particularly the Solar system, was prevented as a result of an armed conflict in 2088 (see Invasion), resulting in the human conquest of the Faata-held colonies of Ro'on, T'har, and Aezat in 2135 (see Retaliation). This was followed by the four Void Wars from 2135 to 2261, after which the Faata were defeated and pushed back into the Perseus Arm. It is likely that this defeat has pushed the Faata into what they dreaded most - the third Eclipse.
• Daskins or Ancients: a powerful and highly-advanced civilization, which, according to the legends, spread its influence throughout the galaxy and mysteriously disappeared several million years ago. Their physical appearance, origin, culture, way of life, or reasons for disappearance are unknown. However, they are not a myth, as several well-known artifacts have been found, which indicate their level of scientific and technological knowledge. The most significant of those are the contour drive (the only known method of FTL travel) and the so-called "Daskin Portolan", a detailed map of the galaxy. They are also credited as the builders of the gigantic megastructures present on many protostars, including the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, which are a part of an interstellar transportation network. While the Daskins have left the galaxy (possibly, even the Universe), there is a legend that they have left emissaries, the Masters of Emptiness. However, this is, most likely, a myth, as no such creatures have been found since the Daskins' disappearance.
• Dromi: an amphibian race from the world of Fytarla-Ata in the Orion Arm. They have nearly 80 colonies and a population of 350-400 billion, more than all other known races put together. The Dromi are hermaphrodites, with each mature Dromi capable of producing thousands of eggs. While only about 10% of the progeny survive the harsh process of natural selection, this still means that the Dromi must constantly expand, looking for more breeding grounds. Unlike humans, mature Dromi continue growing throughout their lifetime. The oldest Dromi are known to weight 300-400 pounds, although their natural lifespan is 45-50 Earth years. The Dromi are an extremely aggressive species, and their thought processes and values are radically different from those of other known galactic races. They have a clan-based social structure, with the obedience to elders and clan chiefs ingrained into all Dromi on the genetic level. The Dromi are not known to be very innovative, with most scientific advances being results of necessity rather than curiosity, which is nearly unknown to them. Most recent technological advances came as a result of their contract with the Lo'ona Aeo. For the past 2 millennia, several Dromi clans have served as the Defenders to the Lo'ona Aeo. In return for their service, the Dromi received advanced technology from their patrons. When the Lo'ona Aeo canceled the contract and began to hire human mercenaries as their Defenders, the Dromi lost their main source of technological advancement. Despite this, they are still a formidable force and are a threat to the Earth Federation and all other galactic races in their unending need for more breeding grounds.
• Haptors: a humanoid race from the world of Harshabaim-Utartu in the Orion Arm. Physiologically, the Haptors differ from humans a lot more than the Kni'lina and the Bino Faata. Technologically, they are similar to humans. The Haptors are a violent, insidious, and power hungry, but also calculating and capable of self-control. Unwilling to contact with Earth. Approximately 2000-3500 years ago, they served as the Defenders of Lo'ona Aero, until they were replaced by the Dromi. This led to a prolonged conflict between the two races, which is still active. It should be noted, though, that they never attacked Lo'ona Aeo transports and the Dromi Defenders. Their conflict was between the larger Dromi Empire. The Haptors continue to actively engage in trade with the Lo'ona Aeo. Current number of colonies: over 200, with the total population being 50-60 billion. Physically, the Haptors have a powerful build, thick skin, and a strip of fur along the spine. Their heads lack hair and are, instead, covered with bone-like skin with two small bumps on the forehead. They have sharpened ears and deep-set eyes with vertical pupils. According to human xenospecialists, the Haptors may eventually become a threat to Earth Federation but not as dangerous as the Bino Faata, the Kni'lina, or the Dromi.
• Kni'lina: a humanoid race from the world of Yezdan in the Orion Arm. Like the Bino Faata, the Kni'lina are biologically close to humans and are even sexually compatible, although such unions do not result in progeny. Technologically similar to humans. They are proud, warlike, and arrogant and are not very enthusiastic about maintaining relations with humans, although they do keep a small diplomatic detachment on the Moon. Population: 25 billion. Like the Faata, the Kni'lina have genetically modified their species into several subspecies, although none of them can be called "semi-sentient". Main differences between the Kni'lina and humans include a complete lack of bodily hair, strict aversion of meat-eating (they call humans "corpse-eaters"), highly-developed sense of smell, and strict traditions regarding food, clothing, and etiquette. Human xenospecialists predict that the Kni'lina will become a threat to the Earth Federation, as is currently with the Dromi.
• Lo'ona Aeo: a pseudohumanoid race originally from the world of Kullat in the Orion Arm. The most advanced race in existence. Despite their external similarity to humanoids, the Lo'ona Aeo have very different internal makeup and reproductive methods. The Lo'ona Aeo have four sexes (full-male, semi-male, semi-female, and full-female), three of which are necessary to conceive a child, although the entire process is telepathic. Current population: unknown. Psychologically, the Lo'ona Aeo are xenophobic, completely incapable of being near a member of another species. Despite this, they actively maintain trade with multiple galactic races through the use of Servs, intelligent biorobotic beings completely loyal to their masters. Despite possessing highly advanced weaponry, the Lo'ona Aeo are peaceful and detest violence. Currently, no Lo'ona Aeo lives on planetary surface. Centuries ago, they moved to live in artificially-constructed space habitats called asteroids (not to be confused with asteroids). To defend their borders, the Lo'ona Aeo hire out to other, less advanced but more aggressive, races. Until 2097, when the Lo'ona Aeo began to hire humans as their Defenders, that role belonged to the Dromi and to the Haptors before them. First contact with the Lo'ona Aeo occurred in 2096, when a Serv ship landed on Pluto.
• Metamorphs or Proteids (self-name unknown): a highly mysterious race of non-humanoids capable of radically altering their appearance and physiology. Their representatives are present among many races, serving as the emissaries, watchers, and spies of their species. Due to their nature, it is nearly impossible to find or catch them. The only properly documented human contact with an emissary of the Metamorphs occurred in 2088 (during the Faata invasion). During this time, the emissary began to actively involve itself into human affairs, in order to force Earth military to resists the might of the Bino Faata and, eventually, destroy them. However, the latter was pretty much performed by the emissary itself, despite the fact that its race is psychologically unable to kill. When the Faata starship landed, the emissary (in the guise of the famous journalist Gunther Foss) delivered onboard a container with nanobots, which destroyed the neural tissue of the ship's biological computer. While the reasons for the Metamorphs' hostility towards the Bino Faata are unknown, it is clear that it is present. While no proof has been found that the emissary has been active within the Earth Federation during the Void Wars, it is believed by some that certain valuable information was received by the Secret Service with his assistance. However, Spacefleet Command has forbidden any attempt to prove or disprove this hypothesis, as "one does not look a gift horse in the mouth." The emissary is able to alter its face, height, weight, skin color, and body shape within the limits of a human appearance. It is also capable of teleporting objects weighing up to 100 kilograms anywhere on Earth and up to several grams as far as Jupiter. All who have reported contact with the emissary state that it was capable of perfectly imitating human behavior and emotions; nobody suspected that they were talking to an extraterrestrial. This, however, does not mean that the Metamorphs are friendly towards humanity.
• Silmarri (self-name unknown): a race of large worm-like creatures from an unknown world. While their origin is unknown, it has been theorized that the Silmarri are nearly 30 million years old. They are a race of nomads, living on ships instead of planets. Biologically, they have white tube-like shapes of up to 6 meters in length and 1.5 meters in diameter, although their extremely-flexible bodies can stretch up to 15 meters in length. Approximate population: several million ships, each of which houses a family unit of 500-1000 individuals. Social structure, if present, is unknown. They never enter contact with other races and are, usually, non-aggressive. Their behavior towards others depends solely on the latter's position. Some races (Kni'lina, Haptors, Lo'ona Aeo) leave the Silmarri alone and even revere them, somewhat, as "the galactic wanderers". As such, the Silmarri have no quarrel with them. The Dromi and the Faata are nearly always aggressive towards the Silmarri, in which case, the Silmarri demonstrate their formidable offensive and defensive capabilities. Limited analysis of their ships suggests that Silmarri technology is almost completely biological. It has even been suggested that their ships are actually living beings capable of interstellar flight.